Julia Anderson
If you find that you’re struggling to buy groceries each month due to limited income or ever-increasing prices, then long-term food assistance should be a priority. You can get it by applying for SNAP or WIC benefits, the National School Lunch Program, and more. However, if you need food right now, you don’t have time to apply and wait for approval, which is why you should use these resources to fulfill those immediate nutritional needs.
2023
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1. National Hunger Hotline
The USDA started this hotline to help people find food fast. Its only downside is that it operates from Monday through Friday between 7 am and 10 pm Eastern. In other words, if you need emergency food assistance on the weekend, you’ll have to contact one of the other resources on this list.
By calling the National Hunger Hotline at 866-3-HUNGRY, you can quickly find out where there are food drives, soup kitchens, etc., in your area. Best of all, there’s no actual screening process. Nobody will ask why you need the food, how much money you make, if you are working, and so on. It’s a judgment-free zone that gets you fed without the hassle that comes with other food assistance programs.
2. 211
Since the National Hunger Hotline is closed on the weekends, you may want to give 211 a call on Saturday or Sunday if you ever find yourself near starvation. 211 offers emergency food assistance, and they can also help you with housing, healthcare, and other essentials you may need if you’re facing a financial crisis.
3. Foodpantries.org
Some people prefer to make phone calls when they need to find free food fast. Others prefer to use the Internet. Visit Foodpantries.org, and you can find a plethora of nearby places where you can pick up free food to feed your family. Whether it’s a food bank, food pantry, or soup kitchen, you can find it here by using the drop-down menu to select your state.
Foodpantries.org also offers details on each distribution site so you can contact them, drop by during their hours of operation, and more. And if you don’t find a site in your specific city, be sure to search in surrounding areas to increase your chances.
4. Feeding America
If you don’t have luck finding anything via Foodpantries.org, give Feeding America a try. This massive directory can connect you with over 60,000 food pantries and 200 food banks from coast to coast. The site is quite easy to use, too. All you have to do is enter your zip code to find free food near you.
5. Ample Harvest
Here’s another option for finding a food pantry fast by simply entering your location. To find more opportunities nearby, you can expand the search radius if you have no luck in your current city.
